Senator Donahue’s February 23 Newsletter

From the Desk of Senator Donahue

We are past the halfway mark for session this year, and there was a lot going on at the Capitol once again this week.

The House saw an SSA bill and debated it on Thursday, but the Senate has yet to bring one forward to allow schools to finalize their budgets for next year. Our school districts are flying blind right now, and in a few weeks will have to submit their budget with or without the state giving them their SSA funding numbers.

There were a number of bills passed through the Senate, some not so great for Iowans. One of those bad bills was Senate File 2095, which allows people to discriminate based on their religious views’ another removed the requirement for gender balance on Iowa’s boards and commissions. Gov. Reynolds’ so-called MOMs bill also passed, giving state tax dollars to fake pregnancy clinics that do not provide medical services. Iowa already ranks among the lowest in the country when it comes to maternal healthcare, and this will only make it worse. We also saw yet another bill passed to clip the wings of state Auditor Rob Sand’s office.

Iowans have been very clear that the direction that the GOP is going is the wrong direction. We have another seven weeks of pushing back on culture war agendas, and vendetta bills when we could be doing things that actually help our communities back home.

Coming up

State Reps. Elizabeth Wilson, Eric Gjerde and I will host a district forum from 9:30 to 11 a.m. this Saturday. Feb. 24, at the Marion Library.

What’s Alive and What’s Dead in the Iowa Senate

Last week, the legislature passed a key procedural deadline that narrows down the bills eligible for passage this year. We call it the funnel – basically, a bill must win approval from a House or Senate committee to remain viable during this session.

With that deadline behind us, here’s what we’re seeing: A few good, bipartisan bills still in the mix, a few bad bills out the running, and a bunch of unhelpful legislation that the Republican majority is still pushing toward passage.

Here’s a rundown:

Good, bipartisan bills

Raising pay for teachers and education professionals (HF 2611)
Expanding preschool (SF 2383)
Cancer Protections for Firefighters and Cops (HF 2482)
Increased funding to the State Housing Trust Fund (HF 2188)
Increased Workforce Housing Tax Credits (HF 2420)
Price caps for insulin drugs (SF 2214)
Insurance coverage for prevention of ovarian cancer and diagnostic breast exams (SF 2363/SF 2358/HF 2489)
More transparency to protect Iowans selling homes (SF 2290/HF 2394)
Voters with disabilities pilot project (HSB 591)
Increased college savings plans (HF 2537 / SF 2236)

The Reynolds/Republican Agenda: All these bad bills could still become law

Cuts to AEA services and funding (SF 2386 and HF 2612)
New barriers to voting for eligible Iowans (SF 2380 and HF 2610)
Union-busting targeting police, firefighters, teachers, and other public servants (SF 2374)
Underfunding K-12 Schools (HF 2613)
Arming teachers in public and private schools (HF 2586)
Lowering taxpayer accountability for anti-abortion fake clinics (SF 2252/HF 2057)
Lawsuit immunity for pesticide companies giving people cancer (SF 2392)
Allowing government agencies to bypass a state audit (SF 2311)
Erasing LGBTQ+ Iowans from Iowa state law (HF 2389)
Allowing religious excuses for discrimination (HF 2454/SF 2095)

Good News: These bad bills won’t move forward

Restoring the death penalty in (SSB 3085)
Dictating who we can love and marry (SF 2129)
Limiting access to the abortion pill (HF 2122)
Policing restrooms in public places (SF 2055)
Allowing public schools to employ chaplains (SSB 3092/HF 2073)
Expanding vouchers to private preschools (HF 2353)
Requiring kids to sing the National Anthem in school (HSB 587)
Reducing independence for public libraries (SSB 3166) (HSB 678)
Removing gender identity from the Iowa Civil Rights Code (HF 2082)
Eliminating early voting (HF 2373)

We Asked, You Answered

A couple weeks back, we asked Iowans to share their top priorities for the 2024 legislative session. Hundreds of you responded, calling on lawmakers to get to work on specific, meaningful legislation that would make a real difference in Iowans’ daily lives.

Here’s a sampling of the responses we received from all across Iowa:

What should be the Iowa Legislature’s top priority this session?

“Protecting and enhancing the public education system we have built in Iowa.” – Betsy W., New Albin
“Respect and pay teachers more.” Jean M., Des Moines
“Lower prices on medicines.” – Mark C., Cedar Rapids
“Better oversight and care in nursing homes.” – Pat K., Cedar Rapids
“Protecting reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy in the state of Iowa.” – Jake H., Urbandale

Public education. Personal freedom. Lower prices. Support for our seniors. Senate Democrats share Iowans’ priorities – and our agenda reflects that. Unfortunately, we can’t say the same for the party across the aisle. We’ll keep listening, and we’ll keep fighting for what Iowans actually need.

If you didn’t get a chance before, take a moment to submit your own answer — and please forward this email to friends, family, and anybody else you think we need to hear from!

Quick Updates

Summer EBT Deadline Missed. Last week, Gov. Reynolds and Republican politicians allowed the federal deadline for Summer EBT to expire. Their refusal to apply for the program means Iowa will reject $29 million in federal assistance and miss out on food aid for more than 240,000 Iowa children this summer. Gov. Reynolds’ rejection of the program continued even after Nebraska’s Republican governor decided to reverse course and accept the funding after initially declining it. It’s beyond disappointing that our governor chose to put politics before hungry Iowa kids.
STEM Teacher Externships: The Iowa STEM Teacher Externships Program supports summer experiential learning for STEM teachers to work at local businesses and organizations alongside knowledgeable and skilled professionals during the summer. Since the program launched in 2009, 727 STEM teachers and 254 Iowa workplaces have built long-lasting school-business partnerships. Interested STEM teachers and workplace host partners can apply here. Current workplace host locations can be found here.
IPERS fraud alert. Beware of official-looking scam emails purporting to come from IPERS. Here are a few details about how IPERS handles personal information – keep these in mind if you get suspicious communications:
- IPERS does not solicit personal information like Social Security numbers or bank account information by email, which is not a secure form of communication, and it does not make outbound calls to members asking for personal details unless you have specifically requested a call.
- IPERS will only call you during business hours, 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time, Monday through Friday.
- IPERS staff emails end with @ipers.org.
- Only IPERS staff can access your IPERS account.
- IPERS staff will never offer to meet at your home.
- IPERS staff do not sell insurance products, and can only provide information about your IPERS benefits. IPERS does not provide financial planning services.
- Visit the IPERS Fraud Prevention page for more information.
Get ready to fly with Real ID. If you fly commercial, you will soon need a driver’s license/state ID with a REAL ID gold star in the upper right corner. Starting May 7, 2025, a real ID or other TSA-approved identity document such as a passport or military ID will be required to fly. To get your REAL ID gold star, you will need to visit an Iowa DOT office in person and bring additional documents. Find out more about Real ID here.